HELLO Y'ALL
I am currently a student at the University of Nevada, Reno and I am conducting primary research on Tarantula care and what people with arachnophobia can learn from tarantula keepers! It is 9 questions and you do not have to answer all of them if you do not wish to.https://goo.gl/forms/dYjEqiDXi6iLtKGY2

@Andrea82
I completely agree with everything you typed. I was over simplifying.
Also typing that much would have taken me forever on my tablet
I too have experience with phobias both personal and professional.
I am well versed in biofeedback and other treatments for unwanted
reactions and behaviors..

Although I would disagree on one minor point
The dictionary does in fact define phobia
It does not diagnose phobia..... semantics but what the heck

I remember in graduate school when we were studying the DSM (back then DSM IV but now we have DSM 5) and clinical diagnoses, we all thought we had certain diagnoses because to some extent, we did display some symptoms of many diagnoses. The importance is recognizing the degree to which a set of symptoms is interfering with daily life. Like I am a very neat person and some of it is ritualized but it does not inhibit my basic functioning like it would for an OCD diagnosis.

In my experience, arachnophobia is pretty rare, to the extent that people need help from someone like me. Usually it is very debilitating, like not going outside, avoiding rooms in the house, panic attacks, etc. Exposure treatments start with very small things, like saying the word spider or looking at a picture of a small spider.

It also drives me nuts when people label regular experiences as a pathological issue. It is just not helpful.

And to the boyfriend I had when I was 25 who said I have OCD because I don't like dirty dishes sitting around: I DO NOT!

@Andrea82
I completely agree with everything you typed. I was over simplifying.
Also typing that much would have taken me forever on my tablet
I too have experience with phobias both personal and professional.
I am well versed in biofeedback and other treatments for unwanted
reactions and behaviors..

Although I would disagree on one minor point
The dictionary does in fact define phobia
It does not diagnose phobia..... semantics but what the heck

Click to expand...

I copy pasted.
Agree on the semantics, yes. I just never used a dictionary to explain mental disorders before

I remember in graduate school when we were studying the DSM (back then DSM IV but now we have DSM 5) and clinical diagnoses, we all thought we had certain diagnoses because to some extent, we did display some symptoms of many diagnoses. The importance is recognizing the degree to which a set of symptoms is interfering with daily life. Like I am a very neat person and some of it is ritualized but it does not inhibit my basic functioning like it would for an OCD diagnosis.

In my experience, arachnophobia is pretty rare, to the extent that people need help from someone like me. Usually it is very debilitating, like not going outside, avoiding rooms in the house, panic attacks, etc. Exposure treatments start with very small things, like saying the word spider or looking at a picture of a small spider.

It also drives me nuts when people label regular experiences as a pathological issue. It is just not helpful.

And to the boyfriend I had when I was 25 who said I have OCD because I don't like dirty dishes sitting around: I DO NOT!

Anyway, I will submit my answers to the survey!

Click to expand...

Thank you!!
Yeah, I hate dirty dishes as well. At the end of a day, i need the place in at least a semblance of order for me to be able to just drop dead on the couch.

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